Life Before University

Hello! My name is Haziq Tan. I am a 27-year-old Singaporean who just completed my bachelor's at the University of Wollongong in Australia.

Back in secondary school, I didn’t do that well, mostly because when it came to the actual exams I struggled compared to coursework and long-term project work which I really excelled at back then. Before I had even thought about what I wanted to study and pursue in university, I did a diploma in a technical college for mechanical engineering and I finished my national service which was 2 years and I then only started University at 25.

In the time I took off, I really got to figure out what I wanted to do next, in high school, I wasn’t really concerned and didn’t think about University much so it gave me time to look at all my options. During that time I contemplated pursuing culinary school, going the mechanical engineering route, and the current degree I finished which was computer science with a major in mobile and game development.

Why the University Of Wollongong (UOW)

I have been interested in games since I was very young, it has always been there. My parents are the ones who introduced me to my first gaming console which was the Game Boy, that’s when it all started and my passion for it grew from there throughout my life. During my diploma, I slowly diverted from mechanical engineering to mechatronics (which involves a mix of mechanics, electronics, and coding) as I realized I liked learning about the software side instead of the hardware part.

Because of this, the course I wanted to study became the most important to me and I just wanted to ensure I would be able to pursue it which is the main reason why I chose to attend UOW, and honestly the real only reason.

Facts & Figures

When it came to the application process I was quite lucky as I am Singaporean and originally applied to the course in Singapore so it was simpler as I was only required to add my educational history, whether or not I completed my national service, and any other qualifications I had regarding the course I was applying to. However, the intake dates were different than what I was used to -Singaporean intakes take place every quarterly while for Australia it happens every half a year so I did need to wait a while which delayed my studies a bit more.

Living-wise, I spend around 450 Australian dollars a month, but I am the type who rarely uses Uber eats out as I cook myself, and doesn’t really spend unnecessary amounts of money as well.

Living off campus and sharing that living space with other students has worked out cheaper than living at UOW student accommodation as well and so I had five other housemates which was not that bad. We each had our own rooms and bathrooms which I feel did make the experience more pleasant overall as we all had privacy whenever needed and so the choice to not live on campus has been quite pleasant especially because I am saving that difference.

Overall Australia is a pretty expensive country on its own, and I do find it more costly than Singapore. I have found that things like chicken, and, spices are more than I’m used to, however, there are things like vegetables that are cheaper so in a way it evens out cost-wise for most day-to-day things. I am lucky as I have very supportive parents who do help me with things like finances, so it is not that bad, but I do think that with the right mindset in budgeting, living here as a student would not be as financially burdening as others may claim it to be.

Adapting to Australia

I was lucky as one of my mates who was with me during my diploma was already at UOW and so that made it easier for me as he helped show me around and made it so that I was not completely alone in this now new country. I did find that living internationally did come with a few trade-offs, things like Asian vegetables, and specific spices are harder to find here, but those are smaller things that you do end up adapting to not having, especially because you, in turn, are getting those new experiences.

Along with that, I also needed to get used to living with multiple people. I shared a house with five people who were all very different in their own ways and so that also came with its own set of challenges like the fact that everyone has very different habits and pet peeves and so it definitely did take a while for all of us to adjust to those habits and create an environment that everyone feels comfortable in. I was lucky as in Singapore I did live on my own for around 5 years, so I was used to living without my parents and became very independent, which made that moving transition easier than others may find it.

Overall though, the people that I have met have been amazing. I have met so many international students and I have gotten to learn so much more about the world and also just the different types of people in general. I have found that even with my housemates, anyone that you hang out with for a long period, in the end, influences you a lot, and you end up picking up their habits and interests for yourself throughout those Uni years, and so these international student experiences have really allowed me to learn more, and experience things even as simple as different movies, which has brought me the type of University life I am very content with.

My Likes at the University Of Wollongong

I have found that UOW’s campus is quite different from other university campuses I have seen here. I like to describe it as a garden. UOW is located in the South of Sydney, about an hour and thirty minutes away from central Sydney so it isn’t very crowded. There is lots of wildlife and in all a beautiful small coastal town. One of the biggest things that shocked me was how fresh the air was, I honestly had no idea air could be as fresh as in Wollongong which really gives you an idea of the feeling you have when you are here. The vibes, the environment and just the quality of life here -you feel a lot healthier.

One other thing that I truly enjoyed at UOW was the clubs. Throughout my first year, I was still adjusting and taking it slow to the new life, but after, I realized that they offered a variety of clubs for people with so many different interests which really formed a fun community for the students, and I ended up joining a few card trading clubs as well. There were also cultural clubs, one that I found was the Malaysian club which I found quite interesting especially if you are feeling a bit displaced and want a taste of home. All of the clubs offered were great to socialize and get out of that academic mindset to really relax. It became quite an enjoyable and memorable experience for me that definitely stuck out.

My Advice Before University

The biggest and best advice I have for you before you even apply to universities and have that conversation about which universities you are interested in, is to really take the time and research what course you want to do. University is such a wonderful part of life to experience, and it is very helpful to remember that part spans over 3-4 years -and that is only your bachelor's depending on if you want to further your studies, or job hunt after, so, make sure you don’t feel like those years were a waste. If you are going to go through university, the best way to approach it is by making sure you know what you want out of it.

Make sure you are ready to commit to that degree and those majors before you start. I’ve met people who take a course with little to no research, and then halfway through realise it isn’t something they want to do. So just make sure you take your time, explore different things, and do not rush into it.

You have time, of course, it depends on what you want for yourself, but there is no human clock that states when you need to start University and at what age you should be done with it.